December 20, 2008

November 14, 2008

I feel bemused as I sit in my comfy room on top of a Malabar hill and type this out. It has been a scintillating journey which sprang surprises at every instant. The run of events over past two years drives me crazy when I sit and ponder about it. Tomorrow it will be one year since I left my first job ever and it seems it was eons ago. When I joined, I was in a regretful mood for not being able to do well in CAT05 and convert the few calls that I had. I wasn't much hopeful about the job but I was pleasantly surprised due to a lot of propitious occurrences like getting the best division and company of new college friends. I met new people and enjoyed working or going out with them. Time flew. I got bored and started looking for a change. I made profiles on monster.com and naukri.com and explored the opportunities and it was October when I finally got through a good company of my choice. Again it was unexpected and the while the dust settled I had moved to an entirely different place away from family. I settled and there were mighty changes and once again CAT and interviews took over and as a consequence, I’m here. This sudden bout of nostalgia poured in because of CAT 08 which is scheduled on this Sunday. It will be the first one in last 4 years for which I won’t be appearing. CAT had ruled my mind probably more than deep crushes that I had and I can gladly look back at it as a humbling experience. After coming to IIMK, it was been a joyful ride with just a few glitches. I organized the hostel party day before yesterday and it was fun. I have a free (almost) weekend ahead and a few parties too.

November 11, 2008

I remember standing in a crowded school bus somewhere in the 1996 summers when I overheard someone saying “India has finally got two good players- Ganguly and Dravid”. Today one of them decided to call it a day and few others who have been omnipresent on television screen are going to do it soon. I’m not a big fan of Ganguly or Sachin or anyone (except Lara) but I’m more worried about the void that will be left behind. The sight of these players doing the stuff they are known for, for years, is so deeply engraved in our minds that the feeling of ‘what next’ isn’t really pleasing. The passage from childhood to present times has shown me a lot of new things in life but not as much as I would have liked to satiate myself. I was born and brought up at a place where even electricity was a luxury (I faintly remember kids in neighbourhood screaming in joy whenever power came). The TV shows like Chitrahaar and Saturday/Sunday cinema on modern DD-1 were the spikes of entertainment in the barren feudal land. There weren’t any computers (and we can’t think without internet?), songs, dance videos, porn, video games, flash games, rock stars, pop stars, junk stars, flirting, x-day cards, y-day cards and xy-day cards for the kids of our times and sports meant cricket, just cricket, unless you could raise appreciative glances from your uncles by playing the great Indian and apparently intellectual game of chess. The emptiness due to all the historical and sociological factors made cricket the real entertainment and probably that’s the reason why I feel the void so wide that it signals the end of an era- not just of cricket, but more of me as a puppet-show watcher. It’s the pace that makes me uncomfortable, of course things moved at the real gentle pace, probably I wasn’t as fast.

I loathed the way Indian media ill-treated these players and pushed them towards retirement. India media probably considers itself as the force that brings change. However for a change, they show reports on commissioner’s lost dog and shiny flying objects but otherwise they are the harbinger of all great things that happen in the country. Commercialization is okay but being so fake and interfering and then overdoing to gain viewers’ attention is criminal. Indians on field were as arrogant as Australians but these things aren’t portrayed the way they should be. And I’m preaching like politicians, which doesn’t serve any purpose.

Getting back to reality, I had an amazing-cubed bike trip to Wayanad and nearby areas. It was a welcome break after the midterms and we really enjoyed to the local maxima after the excruciating mid-terms. A 300 km bike trip in a place like Kerala can at best be described by pictures; still it will be far from reality because you can’t feel the wind in your hair.

November 1, 2008

There is definitely some positive relation between my writing blogs and exams being round the corner. Whatever it is, I have felt quite suffocated lately (and it has nothing to do with exams) and writing something will be relieving to an extent. Some of the recent developments might have long-term effects on my life and being optimistic, I feel it’s all gonna be good. Talking about the developments that have happened this trimester, I have moved from first bench to last bench (rotation policy). It’s a relief to stay away from the prying eyes of a professor standing at an arm’s distance. However, it considerably increases the probability of being randomly picked to answer a baffling question or a question like “Can you tell me what am I talking about?” to test the concentration level of historically notorious back benchers. Nevertheless, I feel more comfortable.

There are few things pending which I got to do as soon as I’m free to go out for a day - Buy a table lamp, get the jeans stitched, get a decent haircut, buy good cheap speakers from gulf market, bank related work etc. I think I’ll go just after exams, that’s normally the first thing that people do on a free day- going to city. Despite Calicut being a relatively small dot on Malabar Coast, the markets for shopping are reasonably good. Even though Diwali is not a big festival here, I was able to find all stuff that was needed for a traditional diwali pooja and decoration. Diwali celebrations at F hostel was indeed a great fun.

September 14, 2008

It is just one of the innumerable night-outs that I have done after coming to K.Most of them were by choice owing to my weird sleeping schedule but the present ones are forced. I have been sleeping in two shifts- one after lectures and another from 6AM to 8:30AM types. This time I'm awake due to the impending final exams and the mammoth untouched syllabus which is springing surprises every time I walk through it. The biggest difficulty is the waves of sleep that sweep me off my feet to the spongy cushion. Let this week pass by as soon as possible though blogging won't help much to my cause this time. I don't remember ever being so keen about (going to Bangalore and) meeting family after the exams are over. I've met great people after coming here and I can say that I'm happy with the people I hang around with everyday. The weirdness quotient which persists in all of my relationships ,either due to me or them has been pretty abysmal. There is nothing much I can say about the surroundings, they're too good to believe.

I love my room[F51]. The pic shows the view from my balcony which is not exactly the much coveted valley view but still tranquil and appeasing. It is on 2nd floor hence quieter, much to my delight. It takes me 101 stairs(up and down both) to reach canteen. For this gargantuan effort, a cuppa is not going to balance the calories and so I've been stocking chips, biscuits and kerala halwa in my room. It has been quite a challenge to keep the ants away and they've been winning hands down so far.I've learned to operate a washing machine which is one of my major learning after coming here. Anyways, 20th evening and I'll be off in a bus to Bangalore with other friends here. I'm looking forward to the Delhi trip this term-break. Unfortunately, New Delhi was rocked by serial blasts today. We've been living with it for ages paying price for the historical blunders. It will be better soon. Rains have started and I'll probably be off to sleep now.

September 13, 2008

It was pretty fast. I could still hear the whooshing sound as it passed by. Some things accomplished and some left to desire, fair enough, the game is not yet finished or rather it has just begun. In the game of life, you never know where exactly you stand because you don't know when it will come to an end. It's difficult to make precise calculations about what you've got and what you need to have more. Some dreams remain quixotic but what is hope for? Oh, I have to study.

May 28, 2008

Doesn't it say it all?! It all started in class XIth, when I stayed up late to study for engineering entrance examinations. College was the place where this insomnia blossomed and remained so ever since then. Gossiping with friends, taking long walks in the dark, tea, coffee, internet, chatting, downloading, talking on phone, making castles in air and what not, I do after 12 AM. I guess I'm not going to be normal anytime soon. That is the way, and I'm okay with it. Too early to sleep now, let me find something to do.

April 7, 2008

The 80s boy is at crossroads. When he grew up enough to understand his surroundings, he saw light-bulbs, scooters, telephones( where you put a finger in and rotate till the end, causing a zirrr sound), none of them functionally existing now. The 80s boy was sent to school where he learned and made friends. Every morning he watched his father with his squint eys, who woke up leisurely, did his daily and household chores, read newspaper and went to office on a scooter. The 80s father returned back in evening and enjoyed a cup of tea, watched TV and discussed politics with an occasional guest. A simple dinner, little bit of family discussion where the 80s father told his son to study, cited examples of successful people with a hope that the son would reach there too. Then they all called it a day. The 80s mother loved her child and wanted him to study and become a successful person. The 80s boy was told to stay ahead in the race. The 80s boy took all this seriously and he looked around and pondered about his life. He thought when he will grow up he would live a simple life like his father, but he found that his surroundings, his house, his town inspires him to achieve something bigger which leads to a "better" life. This pursuit of 80s boy changed his world.

The 80s boy studied and became active at school. He participated in different activities, sports to see how good he can be. The 80s boy saw the 80s girls. He was inquisitive, painfully shy and slightly frightened by this foreign creature. Co-existence brought the fact to him that this new kind of human isn't much different except for her long hairs, candied voice and un-boyish choices. Unwittingly, the 80s boy was attracted to the 80s girl and tried to find out why she smiled or flipped her hair, asked a particular thing and did stuff that was weird from his perspective. The 80s boy was dreamy and wanted to learn more about the outside world which he hadn't seen. His curiosity was his inspiration and his dreams were his motivation. The 80s boy wanted to excel wherever he laid his hands, just like his peers. The small battles became fierce and it fuelled a high degree of self-esteem that sometimes bordered with egotism. Competition, politics, finding shortcuts, peer rivalry, shrewdness were the order of 90s and later, the 80s boy soon got accustomed to it and went on without much difficulties. The 80s boy was headstrong, adamant about what he wanted. He knew he had to swim or he will be drowned in the ocean, either by his incompetence or being pulled down by other. He knew he had to cross the ocean, but what lies on the other side? He could just dream about the other side.

The 80s boy kept on fighting for the best things. He won many and lost many. A loss hurt more than a win pleased, because his pursuit made him feel that winning is just habitual while losing is disastrous. He became mechanical and quantified many facets of his life, which shielded small pleasures that were meant to be just felt. The 80s boy didn't rever the cool breeze falling on his face in the evening, his mind was preoccupied with the work that he needs to finish at night. Time flied and the 2000s arrived. The 80s boy came out of his teens and joined the rat race to achieve "something" wilfully, as if he were not already a part of it. He ran after elusive things and was run out. He went after something aggressively and was stumped. He tried to score maximum but was caught somewhere in between. He was given yellow card for his perceived pugnacity, aptly or otherwise. But, the 80s boy was clever and found his own ways to score in the game of life. Every failure made him shrewd and tougher than ever before. He won battles, one after another until he was bemused about the final outcome. What's there at the end, the other side? He remembered his father living a simple yet satisying life, and look, he himself is living a complicated and a no better life, after all this turmoil. The 80s boy wondered about this world, wondered what went wrong either with himself or with the system? The 80s boy, now in his 20s(so-called quarter-life) is perplexed what is worth running after that keeps him going and most importantly, contented? He earns a lot in this globalized world, still he yearns to earn more by putting up some extra fight. He looks unidimensionally at other 80s boys who are ahead of him and so he never realized that he left many behind him. The big things of 80s like aeroplane, AC, car are commonplace now. There are more luxurious and branded things now, though the 80s boy is fully aware of what he wants and what he doesn't. Still, he's just a part of the race. The 80s boy is at crossroads, once again.

April 6, 2008

"I'm on my quest to demystify this surreptitious world which is increasingly turning hostile towards my feelings. I wish to strike a balance between my idiosyncracies and the societal trends. I wish to know more and more people all over the world. I wish to get hold of my randomly flowing thoughts and save them, that's why I'm here."

This is how I have depicted myself for last three years on my blog. While it is still not utopia for me, I believe it is high time to express myself in a different way.

March 23, 2008

It’s weekend and it’s raining, sounds as good as it should be except for frequent power-cuts. It has been like this for last 36 hours though it didn’t rain heavily. That’s something about hilly areas; it remains cloudy and sprinkles throughout. After a frenzied week at office, I was waiting for this weekend to sleep and think, and yes, I did that totally! Last night when it stopped raining for a while, I decided go out and see the city (hyd). It was in mess- waterlogged (my faithful bike bailed me out every time!), slippery roads and cars splashing mud water everywhere, expectedly. That made me ponder, which city in India is least affected by rains?Certainly not Mumbai, we all have heard of horrible stories about it! Is it Delhi? May be, may not be! Why do I worry about things that have no bearing on me?

February 29, 2008

That's something easy- to pen down six points, six idiosyncrasies of mine that are not very common.

Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. Tag six random people and let them know they've been tagged.

I like the mobile no.s that have 2 as their sixth digit. The first four digits are are just codes where you can't do much. Fifth digit depends on the era when you were born.Sixth digit is special. Seriously, I think such mobile owners are amiable person. I have myself chosen such a number.

I am always short of one rupee change. If Rs 8 is needed, then I would be having coins worth Rs 7. I dispose off coins from my wallet as soon as possible, hence the vicious cycle goes on.

I like sun-set pictures and save them almost compulsively. I prefer sun-set over sun-rise.

I save old tickets, passes, receipts etc. I have 3-4 polythene bags full of such things. When I relocate to a different city(which I do so often), I carry them to the new place.

You'll not understand my photography skills. I take pictures with a philosophical angle, but alas very few can appreciate that. My friends generally have a good laugh seeing my clicked pictures of empty roads, tree branches, bushes etc. I will quickly take out my mobile and take a picture of something, leaving the person accompanying me bewildered about my interesting find.

I frequently and obsessively track things. That means, if I send a courier, I will be checking the consignment no. on website frequently and see where my courier has reached so far. If I have a waiting ticket, I will be checking PNR status every six hours! If I have to transfer money online, I will first transfer a small amount to see if it reached the other side successfully(same amount, importantly).

[BONUS POINT] I am obsessed about one song at any given time. It's something that will be running in my player all the time, much to the chagrin of people around me. These days it is "O re piya" by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Prior ones were Execute the Sounds by POD and Tum se hi.

I'm (over)done with the tag now. I'm not going to tag anyone, people who haven't done this tag may go ahead and be nice. I'd just like Steve to take up this tag as he hasn't written anything for a long time. See you sooner, Adios!

January 23, 2008

There has been quite a lot of difference in my life after coming to Hyderabad. The 13 km one-side drive in horrible traffic has now become 3 km saunter-like bike ride on wide open roads. The earliest person to leave office is now putting long working hours. The weekends that were spent with close friends are now quite lonelier with little or no activity. Frequent trips and some night-outs at IIIT Hyd with old friends have been freshening, giving me an old familiar feel of college life and hostel that sometimes I yearn for. Food, that kept me entertained for most of the time, has now become a need-based requirement and I often miss out on that! With the choice(?) of just one caterer in office, I have become selective(?) about food or lack thereof. Yeah, high proportion of McD and KFC burgers have kept me weighing the same and luckily, the fat hasn’t started showing up yet. I might frequent to ground-floor fitness centre, the moment I see an iota of fatty skin hanging somewhere.

I don’t like staying up late in office. I often stay beyond times, which I never thought of spending in cubicle, either working, or dilly-dallying with some peculiar kind of problem. I can’t imagine myself sitting in office beyond 8 PM regularly. when I’m married with many kids. A good work-life balance is of utmost importance, to anyone who can see beyond cryptic codes, balance sheets and board room meetings. American companies become a difficult proposition as they outsource a lot of work(often back-end) with stringent deadlines to deal with. The time difference of almost 12 hrs is good and bad, good that work goes 24 hrs around the globe and bad when people need to sync up together then someone has to spend nights in office and generally they’re us Indians. After all, money matters for ordinary man.

There has been revival of interests in my life. Apparently, I’ve become a grandiose cell-phone talker and I have started believing that pre-paid is cheaper than post-paid. (There are full talktime cards and Re1 schemes, why was I paying so much rental and 12.36 % tax all these years?). Scrabble, how much I loved it when I was a kid!! Though I didn’t play it enough in those younger years, I’m making up for it now on Facebook’s Scrabulous :). Sadly, there is a bit of fight over it and hopefully scrabulous will remain afloat. I’m eagerly waiting for Adelaide test now. This Aussie-India series have become a real battle, though a bit ugly at times, but it has invigorated the seemingly dull game. Cricket has become interesting again! And just like it, a few other things too!